


Kara Zor-El

by glitterprison



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, Lena Luthor Doesn't Know Kara Danvers is Supergirl, Lena Luthor Finds Out Kara Danvers is Supergirl, SuperCorp, mentions Alex Danvers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-07 17:18:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16858114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glitterprison/pseuds/glitterprison
Summary: Prompt request: Hi! Saw you were taking Supercorp prompts on AO3 and was wondering if you’d take mine: Kara and Lena are in High School, no one likes Lena because she’s a Luthor but obviously Kara doesn’t care about that and befriends her, Lena lets her for a while until she gathers the courage to ask if it’s all a prank because how could Kara Danvers want to be her friend? Then a bit of a heart-to-heart happens. Feel free to make it your own of course, or ignore it if you’re not feeling it! Thanks!ORHigh School AU - That one in which Lena Luthor doesn't believe that Kara Danvers is an alien, so she has to show her.





	Kara Zor-El

**Author's Note:**

> This wasn't beta'd and is kind of choppy at times. Sorry about that!

“ _Seriously,_ Alex? I called dibs on the car for this morning three days ago!”

Those had been the last words Kara’d half-shouted at her sister before the older Danvers sped off on her own in their only (shared) means of transportation, leaving Kara behind in the driveway. Kara’s eyes followed the red tail lights until they disappeared around the corner, her hands balled up into fists at her sides. Overall, having a sister wasn’t _terrible_ , but in times like these Kara found it to be nothing other than one hundred and ten percent annoying.

The blonde hadn’t been running late for her Saturday morning brunch hangout with Lena Luthor, but now thanks to Alex she was going to be. With a huffed sigh Kara relaxed her hands, bringing one up to adjust the tortoise-colored glasses on the bridge of her nose. It wasn’t the most favorable of options, but there _was_ her old bike she could ride in the garage…

“Great,” Kara muttered as metal scraped pavement, the the tires on the bike worn out and flat. There went that idea.

She had seventeen minutes to walk eleven and a half miles — a human impossibility, but what other choice did Kara have? Using her superpowers here on earth wasn’t an allowed option. Doing so wasreckless, according to Eliza and Jeremiah — something that could put her and her entire adoptive family in jeopardy.

Depositing the bike back where she found it, Kara trudged down the driveway in dismay. She’d made it about two-thirds of the way, checking her watch only to conclude that her assumption was correct: rather than being right on time, she was now officially running an hour late — even with using the tiniest bit of super speed.

“Screw it,” Kara mumbled under her breath. After a quick assessment of her surroundings, she ducked into an alley a few steps ahead, sending Lena a promising text before disappearing up into the clouds.

—

Lena glanced at her phone as it vibrated on the table in front of her.

**1 Unread Message: Kara Danvers  
** **Kara, 11:03am: I’m so sorry, I’m almost there! Xx**

Without responding she returned the device to the flat surface, noting the time. Despite their meet-up not being a date, this felt awfully similar to being stood up on one, and Lena abhorred that feeling. The Luthor was used to being lonely, but she didn’t appreciate being made to feel like a joke.

With what was meant to be a final sip of her lukewarm coffee, she grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder, colliding into the familiar blonde who was sliding into the same of the booth as her right as Lena was making her way to stand. She caught herself with a hand on the bottom cushion as she was automatically forced to sit back down.

“I’m so, _so_ sorry,” Kara apologized. Her expression was filled with genuine regret as she placed a hand on top of Lena’s. The brunette turned her gaze to the top of the table, slipping her hand out from underneath the other girl’s.

“It’s fine.”

That was a lie, one Kara saw right through.

“I told Alex a few days ago that I needed the car this Saturday, and she literally _took_ it from me. Sped off while I was standing in the driveway. So I walked part of the way but that was taking forever, so I flew here the rest as fast as I could.” Kara’s eyes widened as she registered the words she’d let slip, adjusting her glasses while momentarily looking away.. “On…on a bus.”

Lena had finally lifted her head to look at Kara now. Her eyes narrowed in response to the combination of her words and demeanor, her hard look working to mask the hurt she felt.

She stared at Kara, incredulous, for a beat longer. “Is all of this… Am I just a joke to you?” Lena asked.

“What?” A crease formed in the center of Kara’s forehead. “No. Of course not. I—”

“Because it feels like this — you pretending to like me and be my friend— is all a prank.”

Kara visibly recoiled at Lena’s words. Her eyes were wide, her mouth agape.

“Lena…”

“Hi ladies, what can I get started for you?” The interruption from their waitress reminded Kara of how to speak. She shook her head and fumbled with the menu in front of her.

“Um, if…if we could just have a few more minutes, please?” Kara asked.

“Actually, the check would be great.” Lena retorted, to which the waitress awkwardly nodded and stepped away to retrieve.

Kara frowned at her friend, waiting until the space surrounding them was clear before speaking again. “Lena, if I didn’t enjoy spending time with you, I wouldn’t do it.”

Lena arched a brow, reluctant to believe Kara’s words regardless of wholeheartedly wanting to. There wasn’t a soul world who _enjoyed_ spending time with Lena Luthor. Why would Kara Danvers feel any different? 

“You don’t know who I am,” Kara continued, bordering the line she knew she wasn’t meant to cross but proceeding to anyway. “So I don’t understand why you automatically shove me into the same box as everyone else and assume I have the same views as them. I’m not…” 

Lena’s eyes narrowed again when Kara took pause and averted her eyes, studying the way she reached up to fidget with her glasses for the second time since she’d arrived. It was a mannerism Lena was familiar with, one she recognized as something Kara often executed while flustered. “You’re not what?” Lena questioned, her head tilting with curiosity.

“Is that all you got?” Kara asked, deflecting while motioning towards the half-empty cup of coffee that sat between them. Lena’s eyes followed Kara’s hand to the mug. She nodded. Kara dug into the pocket of her jeans and placed a ten dollar bill on the table before reaching for Lena’s wrist. “Let’s go somewhere else.”

 _Preferably somewhere with less people,_ Kara thought.

Lena was about to reject Kara’s money and protest against going _any_ where else with her when the blonde abruptly pulled her up from the booth and onto her feet in one swift movement. Kara had released Lena’s wrist upon standing, allowing the other girl an out should she feel so compelled to take it, but Lena relented, and inclined her head towards the front door instead.

—

Lena was used to being rejected. Isolated. She was used to being deceived and was well-versed when it came to verbal and emotional abuse. She had her family to thank for all of that. Because of the deceit and malice attached to the Luthor name she wasn’t a stranger to being labeled dangerous and untrustworthy, even by someone as innocent as Kara. It was the conclusion that most jumped to, the conclusion she’d learned over the years to simply accept. Though, even then, it would have been a lie to say that the question that left Kara’s lips, breaking through the silence encompassing them, didn’t hurt.

“Can I trust you?” Kara asked, her eyes fixed on the concrete under their feet as they walked side by side.

Lena kept her focus forward and let out a soft, hollow laugh. “Does my answer really matter either way? Would you even believe me if I said yes?”

Kara stopped Lena in her tracks by hurrying a few steps ahead and turning to face her, forcing Lena to look her in the eye. “Yes,” Kara told her, confident.

The Luthor wanted to look away, but she couldn’t. Instead she allowed herself to get lost in the pair of blue eyes looking back at her.

“You’re not the same as the rest of your family, Lena. Just like… I’m not same as the rest of mine.”

Lena adjusted her stance and crossed her arms over her chest. “Go on.”

“The are only three people in my life who know this about me,” Kara warned.

“You can trust me,” Lena finally said, though her posture didn’t soften.

Kara checked over each of her shoulders, ensuring their newfound solitude. It was a risk to admit her true identity in such a public place, let alone to a Luthor, but Kara had meant the words she’d said. Judging a person’s character was generally something Kara was very good at, and Lena was different. Sure, she was a Luthor, but Lena wasn’t Lillian, and she certainly wasn’t Lex. She was good, she was her _friend_ , and she knew what it was like to feel like she was stuck in a situation where she didn’t belong.

In a way Kara found difficult to put into words, she felt connected to Lena. They hadn’t known each other for more than a year, and their family histories and the communities from which they each came from were vastly different, yet there was something about being around Lena that made Kara feel safe. Like she was finally at home.

“First of all, you’re not a joke to me,” Kara started, “not at all.”

She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, her confidence dwindling with each second that passed. While she was confident in her feelings of trust and friendship when it came to Lena, the act of revealing her secret was easier said than done. Walking through the conversation within the confines of her own mind was easier than having it out loud, with another individual. Especially when said individual was someone she so deeply cared about. 

There were many layers to what made all of this so nerve-racking. Kara didn’t want to lose Lena; she didn’t want this conversation to mark the beginning of the end. But she also knew that if she didn’t at least _try_ to have this conversation, she was going to lose her friend either way.

“But I’m also not who you think I am,” Kara continued slowly, pausing in between each sentence. “Or _what…_ you think I am. I’m not from this planet.”

Lena narrowed her eyes, a wicked look sparking behind them as she started to turn her head. _And so the joke continued._ She wasn’t a stranger to this type of low blow.

“You think you’re hilarious, don’t you?” Lena’s voice cracked as she spoke, the unwanted falter taking her by surprise. Luthor’s didn’t cry; Luthor’s didn’t feel, yet her eyes began to burn anyway. The brunette found herself suddenly baffled by the overwhelming emotion.

Lena was used to people taking jabs at her in response to her brother’s faults. She was used to everyone chalking her up to being no one but another deceitful, villainous Luthor. But Kara Danvers wasn’t like everyone else; Kara Danvers was different. She didn’t seem capable of having a malicious bone in her body. Kara Danvers had only ever been kind… and, _maybe_ , a _little_ too bubbly and glass half full for Lena’s usual liking, but then again, she would have been lying if she said the latter traits weren’t beginning to grow on her.

The Luthor ignored her hopefulness, however, and sucked in a shallow, steadying breath when Kara tilted her head. “Hilarious?” Kara questioned. “No, I —”

“You’re lying,” Lena accused, cutting the blonde off. “To my face.”

“Lena, that’s the exact opposite of what I’m trying to do.” Kara’s sincerity was written all over her expression. “I’m trying to tell you the truth.”

Lena shifted uncomfortably and avoided Kara’s stupidly gorgeous blue eyes again. She was certain she would drown in them if she continued to make contact. After a moment of thought and a subtle, defeated sigh, she mustered up enough self control and strength to look at her again and asked, “Who are you then, _really_? If you’re not from Earth, what planet are you from?”

Another few moments of silence quieted the space between them. Revealing herself to Lena was either about to be one of the best mistakes of Kara’s life, or the biggest. Regardless, she couldn’t turn back now.

“My name’s Kara… Zor-El, not Danvers.” Kara paused there, searching her friend’s face for the faintest reaction, but Lena didn’t even blink. “I came to Earth from Krypton. Three years ago.”

“There’s no way,” Lena insisted, arms falling to her sides. “Krypton exploded—”

“—Years ago, twenty-seven, to be exact. On my way here my pod got knocked off course, and I was stuck in the phantom zone for twenty-four of those.”

Lena took two steps backwards and shook her head in disbelief — _real_ disbelief. “ _No._ ” Her tone was bitter and firm. All of Krypton’s people had died when their planet exploded — All except Superman. His friendship with Lex had induced her brother’s insanity and desire to reap the hero’s demise. While Lex had gone mad all on his own, and while Lena didn’t feel real animosity towards Superman himself because of it, that didn’t mean what happened no longer hurt. The memory of the monster their friendship had turned him into was still there.

Aliens were people, Lena was aware of that, accepted, and respected them. But there were no other aliens from Krypton left in existence. There was no way that Kara Danvers was Kryptonian, too. And if her goal had been to hurt Lena with her extravagant lie involving pods and phantom zones in her mockery of being one, then, well…she’d succeeded.

“Just…stop talking,” Lena said, though Kara had finished speaking long before. “I don’t believe you, she continued, shaking her head again and using her hands as she spoke. The latter was a Lena-specific characteristic Kara first noticed the day they’d met. It usually made her smile. “You know what, I’m not interested in this… _friendship._ Whatever it is, or _was_.”

Kara visibly deflated then, her shoulders rolling in as a frown made its way to her face, contorting almost every one of her perfect features. Maybe she’d been naive to think this moment could have gone any other way. Maybe Jeremiah and Eliza were right; maybe being who she truly was would only ever do more harm than good. Maybe she wasn’t made to be a hero, and maybe her trying to be, trying to embrace herself, would only ever result in hurt.

The Kryptonian absently brought a hand up to the rim of her glasses to straighten them when she caught the glistening in Lena’s eyes. Her chest tightened at the sight. “Lena, please…” She tried, making one final attempt. Strength was one of Kara’s greatest powers, but congregating this kind of it fell into a different realm.

 _Powers,_ Kara thought again, the word surfacing and repeating internally as an idea formulated. With some people, sometimes believing wasn’t seeing. It was the other way around; seeing was believing.

_Maybe she’d have to show her._

“Don’t let go.” Kara’s focus fell to Lena’s hands. She reached out towards them, first taking them in her own. _A risk._

Next, she levitated their bodies above the sidewalk beneath their feet, noting the way the brunette’s eyes widened before she let out a yelp as Kara transferred Lena to her back with ease. Lena’s arms were wrapped tightly around Kara’s shoulders as the distance between their feet and the ground grew further apart with each millisecond. _Dangerous._

Speaking was a thing of the impossible for Lena as they reached what had to be at least 10,000 feet — in broad daylight. _Incredibly stupid._

Risky, dangerous, stupid…Kara wasn’t any of those things by nature. And by nurture, she knew in her head what she was doing was wrong. But when it came to potentially making or breaking Lena’s presence in her life, in her heart, taking her chances was worth it.

Lena’s heart was pounding faster than Kara’d ever heard it beat before, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the the front of her friends shirt. Kara placed a hand on top of Lena’s, promising, “I’ve got you.” Chill bumps appeared on Lena’s skin as they climbed higher into the sky. There wasn’t much Kara could do about that, though she didn’t plan on staying mid-air for very long.

Kara slowed her speed some once they reached the clouds and turned her head over her shoulder to peer back at Lena. The brunette’s breath was a bit ragged, but her voice had returned, and though her eyes were watering, they were wide open. “ _Please,_ at least watch where you’re flying,” Lena said.

Kara smiled and obliged. “As long as you start looking at the view instead of me.”

Lena closed her eyes and rested her chin on Kara’s shoulder. Looking down was the one thing she’d been avoiding. Getting from one place to another via an aircraft had never been one of Lena’s favorite activities, but this type of flying was already proving to be vastly different. It was terrifying, but also exhilarating. And as much as she enjoyed having Kara to look at, _maybe_ one quick glance down wouldn’t be so bad.

Lena pressed the lower half of her face against Kara’s shoulder blade in an effort to avoid a bit of the brisk wind. Reopening her eyes, she exhaled heavily and craned her neck ever so slightly to peer below, her stomach fluttering and her breath hitching as they soared in and out of endless puffs of white, above the reality they lived amongst. It was beautiful. Busy. Breathtaking. But also peaceful.

 _This too was reality_ , Lena realized as an afterthought. Kara’s reality, the one she’d denied to be true.

“I’m sorry I didn’t believe you, Kara.” Regret coursed through Lena’s veins; she felt like an idiot now. People didn’t joke about losing their whole world, and that’s exactly what had happened to her friend.

The smile that had been on Kara’s face only softened at the apology, and when Lena loosened her death grip on her some, she gave her friend’s hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Kara,” Lena repeated, admiring the way the other girl’s _real,_ full name sounded as it left her lips. “Kara _Zor-El._ ”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read this!!! You can find me on tumblr and send me prompt requests at loud-and-fearless.tumblr.com <3


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